All in A Moment
by Glostara
Summary: Pepper Hunter is a normal girl. But when she starts to see monsters that her friends can't, she begins to wonder if she actually is. Rated for mild swearing. Mostly adventure, possibly romance later.
1. Chapter 1

"_Sofia!"_

_I screamed, choking on the thick air in the burning science lab. I couldn't breathe. My only action was to scream out my little sister's name over and over and over, running through the flames and burning wood. Whose bright idea was it to put toluene on the Bunsen burner? _Probably hers, you know how much she loves to experiment._ I thought, dodging a burning chunk of something. Forget that, whose idea was it to let eleven-year old kids experiment with a deadly substance?!_

_Then I saw her, kneeling on the carpet, surrounded by flames fueled by an experiment gone wrong. There was no escape, and she knew it. I could see it in her eyes. "Pepper…" she cried. " I just wanted to create something new. Something different. I'm sorry."_

"_NO!" I screamed. "NO!"_

"_Pepper, take care of Mom. Don't cry for me, Pepper. I will be safer than you will ever know."_

"Sofia!"

I woke up clutching the blankets around me, drenched in sweat, my own searing body heat suffocating me. I sat there, in my bed, until my breathing slowed. _She died more than a year ago, idiot,_ I said to myself._ Get over her death! It wasn't your fault!_

_But I could have saved her, _I thought back wretchedly, and rolled out of bed to get showered before I could get into another stupid argument with myself. Toweling off my hair, I stared in the mirror, trying to make sense of what I saw. _ I see a mess,_ I thought humorlessly, staring at my horrible bed head. My vibrant green eyes stared back at me, the fear showing through them. _No,_ I thought,_ That won't work. Is this the Pepper you are going to show the world?_

_ No. _I thought, and settled into my "friend mask". It was a good mask, one that was the me I was around my friends. Friend me was caring and loyal. Home me was comedic, smiley and optimistic. Fight me was brave and tough. _Who am I really? _I wondered, staring into the mirror. _Who is the real Pepper Hunter?_

_*.*.*_

It was a dreary morning.

I stared out of the window as Kat and Lauren chattered on in the background. Fog coated Houston, Texas with a thick heavy blanket that was hard to shake off. I looked deep into the fog. Something moved.

_Was that…?_

An enormous dog stepped out of the shadows, nearly as tall as the school bus. It's red eyes dripped venom, and it's shaggy fur dripped with blood. My eyes widened. "Guys? Do you see that?"

"See what?" Lauren said, turning to the window. Her eyes glazed over, a dreamy look passing over her face. "Oh my gosh, look at that puppy!" She cooed, staring at the beast. "It's adorable!"

I stared in shock at her. Was I crazy? What was going on? "Are you sure that's a puppy?!"

Kat was no different. "Awwww!" She smiled, dreamily staring out and the monster, which was now trotting along the side of the bus as it chugged along.

_What. The. Actual. F***. _I thought as I stared out the window, at the hound from hell, and back to my friends. The hellish creature stopped and stared me right in the eye as it disappeared in mist.

I slumped in my seat for the rest of the ride, in total shock. _What the hell just happened?_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hey guys! Sorry if this story isn't everything you hoped, this is my first fan fiction so please cut me some slack. No really mean reviews please, I'm only 12 so please don't expect this to be wonderfully written literature that came from a shelf of classics.**_

_**So, without further ado, here is the second chapter!**_

_**Pepper: Aren't you forgetting something?**_

_**Glostara: Ummm, request for no mean reviews, telling them this is my first fanfic; nope I don't think I forgot anything!**_

_**Pepper: Disclaimer?**_

_**Glostara: Oh! Right!**_

_**I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians. I am not Rick Riordan. But I can dream, can't I? **_

_**Chapter 2**_

I entered school in a daze, looking left and right for more creatures. There didn't appear to be any. I sighed in relief. _ Maybe I just imagined it._

_No. You didn't imagine it. You aren't that creative._ I answered myself.

I opened my locker and dragged the brush I kept there through my red hair a couple times. I grabbed my science notebook from my bag and walked to class, looking over my shoulder as I went. I turned into class, relieved that I hadn't been, I don't know, ambushed by another thing, and stopped short.

There, standing in my class, was the biggest man I had ever seen. He was at least seven feet tall and surrounded by the stench of rotting meat. His hair was brown and shaggy, and looked like it hadn't been washed in years.

But the most frightening thing?

He only had one eye in the center of his forehead. It was blue and bloodshot, staring at the students as they walked in. His eyes stayed on me for an unusual amount of time, and I wanted to scream and run. _No. He will attack you if you give him any indication you can see him as he is._ My little voice warned. _You are a master of masking your emotions. This is a normal day in class. Other than a substitute teacher, there is nothing paranormal about this. Head to your seat._

I obeyed my voice unquestioningly. My curious mask slipped over my frightened features, and I observed the one-eyed-man (Cyclops, aren't they called in Greek mythology?) for a few seconds before heading to my seat.

"Good morning, class," He rumbled. He pointed with an enormous hand at the black board, where the words **Mr. Uno**were scribed. "I am Mr. Uno. Mr. Terren is… indisposed, so I shall be your teacher today."

I didn't like the sound of that. I raised my hand. "What do you mean by 'indisposed'?"

He smirked horribly, showing rotting teeth a distinct shade of green. "He was in an… accident last night. I will be here for as long as he is in the hospital."

"That's horrible!" cried Savanna, a drama queen who sat in the back.

Mr. Uno smirked again. "It is."

I didn't like this. _He makes it sound as though he caused the accident._ I thought suspiciously, but I didn't ask any more questions. Instead, I looked around the classroom at all the other students, just to find out if anyone else could see the Cyclops as he was.

Hannah? No.

George? Definitely not.

Beth? No, to busy painting her nails.

Andy? N- Wait. Did he…?

Andy was fidgeting and messing with his fingers. He appeared to be sweating profusely, and his brown hair was slicked down with perspiration. He started chewing on his pencil. I watched in fascination as he chewed it down to a pile of splinters in a matter of seconds. I caught his eye from across the room. _Can you see…? _I mouthed, gesturing to the one eyed creature. He looked, stunned, at me briefly, and then nodded his head. My eyes widened, and I slipped a note onto his desk.

_Meet me in the hallway. I need answers._

_-P_

His eyes scanned the note, then looked up and me and nodded his head once. I turned back around to listen to Mr. Uno.

*.*.*

"What the hell is going on?"

I was standing in the hallway to Andy, clutching my books and wearing a determined face. Andy was looking at the floor.

"Erm… I'm not really supposed to tell you yet."

I scowled wickedly. "Says who?"

"Says Perc-." He slapped a hand over his mouth. "I can't tell you."

"You're going to tell me." It was a command, not a question. "Now."

He stared at my face for a second, frightened. I felt kind of sorry for him. At least my fierce mask worked though. "Well- uh-um… you've heard of Greek mythology, right?"

I nodded slowly, careful not to let my mask slip.

"Well- um- all of the- erm…" he stuttered. I was starting to get annoyed.

"Get to the point!" I snapped. "Stop stuttering!"

"All of the Greek gods and goddesses are real." He squeaked out. "And the monsters, and the places- all of it."

I nodded slowly. "This explains a lot." I was slightly surprised that I wasn't freaking out, but there could be worse things.

But then another thought occurred to me.

"Then why can I see all of these… monsters? And is there anyone else besides you and me who can see them?" I questioned.

A look of pure panic passed over poor Andy's face. Whatever the reason, he clearly shouldn't have told me this much, and- judging by his face- MOST CERTAINLY shouldn't answer my question.

"I can't-"

"I swear, if you say, 'I can't tell you yet', I will throw you out of a window!" I exploded. I had had enough of this kid's scared attitude, and I was ready to blow.

If it was possible, Andy looked even more terrified. "You're half god!" He squeaked, terrified. "Percy and Annabeth taking you to Camp Half Blood when you walk home from school!"

I furrowed my brow, confused. But as I opened my mouth to ask more questions, the bell rang, and Andy skittered off to class. I wandered into math, deep in thought. I had so many questions! What on earth was Camp Half Blood?

_**Review please?**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! I'm back with the next chapter! Sorry that it's taking so long to get started, I'm a sucker for details. ^^ Don't worry, everything will pick up SOON! If not in this chapter, than the next two at the latest. I will try to post every day, but there's no guarantees since homework is really crazy lately. **

**Pepper: Get to the f***ing story! (taps foot impatiently) I've got things to find out! What the hell is Camp Half Blood? And who on earth are Percy and Annabeth?**

**Glostara: You'll find out. All in good time, Pepper. **

**Pepper: Glostara does not own Rick Riordan's books. She may wish she did, but she's not Riordan himself. She does, however, own me, Andy, and the other OC's still to be introduced.**

**Enjoy!**

_**Chapter 3**_

I wandered the hallways, searching for Andy and the answers to my questions. Unluckily, he seemed to be avoiding me. _You shouldn't have frightened him so much. He's scared of you now. _

I frowned. _I shouldn't have, but I wanted answers. Why in hell does he think I'm half god? That's ridiculous! How else was I supposed to get answers?_ I started to bite my fingernails again, quickly taking them away from my mouth once I realized what I was doing. _Argh! I'm NEVER going to kick that habit!_ No matter what I did, I could never stop biting my fingernails. I had tried every trick in the book and eventually just given up. My ragged fingernails were just part of who I was now, and I find it hard to change.

I was jolted out of my reveries as the bell rang AGAIN. Last period… English. I groaned. I _suck_ at English. My dyslexia makes it impossible to read, and I couldn't write a decent poem or story to save my life. _There's no avoiding it_, my little voice chided me. _Your grades will only drop if you skip. _I jogged back to my locker, grabbed my notebook, and strolled to class.

*.*.*

"And that's _Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening._ Homework is to analyze it in half a page and get it back to me by Friday." Droned Mr. Haranz as the bell rang. _Thank god,_ I praised silently._ I thought it would never end!_

I walked out of the school and down the street. The shortest route home was four blocks, so I had time to think._ What was Andy saying earlier?_ I frowned in concentration._ Something about… going to Camp Half Blood or whatever when I walked home from school…_ My thoughts were interrupted by a low growling noise that seemed to be… coming from behind me?! I whipped around, only to become face-to-face with one of the most terrifying things I had ever seen in my life.

It had the body of a lion, whose fur was caked with dried blood and who knows what else. The shaggy mane was matted and scraggly, and the lion was growling, long and low. Its eyes were trained on me, watching my every move. The goat's head protruding out of his back didn't appear to be friendly either, as it had fangs. The tail slashed out from behind, and I had to step back quickly to avoid being slashed with the fangs of a snake.

_Okay, you've got this, _I thought, mind frantically searching for an escape._ There are worse things than this. You just don't have time to think of them right now. Just back away slowly. _

The lion's head breathed a short burst of flame. _Oh sh*t, it breathes fire. What the f*** do I do now?! _My one and only fear, ever since Sofia had died, was fire. My mind went blank of all escape options as sheer terror took over, and I began to panic. I dashed behind buildings and mail boxes, avoiding that scorching flame at all costs. The snake tail whipped around and nearly took off my arm, stealing my book bag instead. The lion slashed at me, raking its claws up my arm. _Agh! That hurts!_ I fell over, cracking my head on the concrete.

It seemed there was no option now but to sit there and die.

_I'm coming, Sofia. _As I closed my eyes in pain, I thought I heard voices coming from above, and just before I blacked out, I was sure I saw a horse with wings descending.

*.*.*

I woke up in a white bed. _A hospital? _No, this wasn't a hospital. My eyes darted around, taking in the white curtain and desk. I stumbled out of bed, suddenly becoming aware of the dull pains in my arm. Rolling up my sleeve, I was stunned to see that, what had recently been bleeding wounds, only scars. A sharp needle of fear stabbed my heart. How long had I been out? A month? Two? Three?

"I must say, you are one of the most peculiar cases I've ever seen," said a calm voice from behind me. "Not seeing any monsters-or attracting them, for that matter- until three days ago… well, that is VERY strange."

I turned around, only to be even more shocked by what I saw. It was a man with the body of a horse, or a horse with the head of a man.

"You're a… centaur." I managed to get out. My throat was so dry and cracked that it was a wonder I could speak at all.

"Yes." The centaur said simply, gesturing to a glass of water on the table. "Drink. You've been out for three days."

I was amazed. "Only three?" I yelped after I chugged down the water. "Then how did-how is…?!" I gestured to my arm, perfectly healed.

"Ambrosia and nectar. Wonderful healing for demigods, but makes mortals go up in flames."

"Then why aren't I in flames?"

"Simple. You're a demigod." The centaur gestured to the bed. "Sit, please."

For lack of anything else to do, I sat down while the centaur explained it to me. "One of your parents was a god, not human. Therefore, you aren't entirely human either." The centaur paced the room, his hooves making clopping noises on the wooden floor. "You're half god." He turned to face me. "My name is Chiron. You are in Camp Half Blood. There are other children like you here."

I was surprised. Naturally. But I've been called worse things than half god. Things I wouldn't care to mention in polite company.

But I still didn't believe this-Chiron, or whoever he was.

"Very funny," I snorted. "Where are the cameras?" I glanced around the room, looking for them. "Which T.V. show is this?"

Chiron sighed. "I can assure you, this is not a 'T.V. show'. This is absolutely true. If you don't believe me, we'll go outside."

I shrugged. "Okay."

I followed Chiron down a flight of stairs and out of a door. I stopped. I stared. I blinked and rubbed my eyes. Nope, it was still there, plain as can be- people running about with goat's legs, swords- and was that a lava rock wall in the distance?

There was no denying it then. Everything Chiron said- was TRUE.

How the hell was I supposed to keep my masks up when mythical creatures were real?!

I was so engrossed with staring at the scenery that I barely noticed when Chiron went back inside. I walked down the front steps and onto the grass. Some kid with black hair and green eyes jogged towards me.

"Hey, she's up!" He said, waving. "Annabeth, she's awake!" A girl with blonde hair and stormy grey eyes walked over as well.

I stared blankly. "Do I know you?"

The guy raised his eyebrows. "No, you don't know us. We didn't save your sorry butt from a chimera three days ago."

"Percy, really?" The blonde girl-Annabeth, the guy had called her- rolled her eyes. "Sorry about him. Seaweed brain can be incredibly dense." She stuck out her hand. "Annabeth Chase. You?"

I shook her hand. "Pepper Hunter."

The black haired guy grinned. "Percy Jackson. Who's your godly parent?"

I furrowed my brow. "No idea. Yours?"

"Poseidon." He said.

I turned to Annabeth. "And yours?"

"Athena." She smiled, sticking her hands in her pockets. "I'll show you around."

**Well?! How is it? Review please!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! I'm back! Here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rick Riordan's stuff.**

"And that's camp, in a nutshell." Annabeth shrugged. She had just finished showing me around camp. A conch horn blew across the valley.

My head snapped around. I was afraid that some sort of attack was going on, but I put on my faintly curious mask. "What's that?" I asked coolly.

Annabeth was watching me carefully. "That means it's time for dinner." We turned around and started trudging back. Annabeth eyed me like a hawk the entire time. I eventually decided to ask her about it. "What's with the staring?"

"How do you do that?" She muttered.

"Do what?"

"That. Change your face. I can usually tell easily when people are acting, but with you I only have the smallest of hints to go by." She gestured at my face. "Like, for instance, just now you were anxious, but the only way you could tell was the way you turned your head and moved your hands."

"Oh. That." Annabeth was talking about my masks. _Sh*t. I need to keep those up, not have someone reading my emotions no matter what I do to cover them!_

"It's nothing." I said, turning towards the mess hall and trudging towards it.

"But I just saw- "

"I said its _nothing."_

Her stormy grey eyes narrowed, but she dropped the subject. "Okay." She started stating the many different architectural wonders of the world.

*.*.*

"Let's sing something!"

We were gathered around a bonfire, roasting s'mores. I watched in fascination as the colors changed from red to orange to purple to yellow to green, not really catching what that kid from Aphrodite had said. I was starting to feel comfortable here. As if it was home. "What?" I muttered, still entranced by the fire.

"I said lets sing something! Set the mood for your first night at camp." Samantha (the kid from Aphrodite) smiled. "Plus, I want to hear what kind of singing voice you have," she murmured, leaning in over Annabeth. "I can match you up with someone better that way." She winked.

I froze, every bone in my body protesting, screaming not to sing. I thought back to the times I had sung for Sofia.

_Flashback_

"_Sing something Pepper! Please!" Sofia begged. Her green eyes looked up at me, begging me silently like only a seven year old can. _

_I laughed. "All right, fine. I'll sing."_

"_Oooh!" Her head snapped up. "Sing Landslide! Please!"_

"_Okay." I took a deep breath and began._

_I took my love and I took it down__  
I climbed a mountain and I turned around___

And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills_  
'Till the landslide brought me down___

Oh, mirror in the sky_  
What is love?__  
Can the child within my heart rise above?__  
Can I sail thru the changing ocean tides?__  
Can I handle the seasons of my life?___

Mmm Mmm..._  
__[ Lyrics from: f/fleetwood+mac/landslide_ ]__  
Well, I've been afraid of changing__  
'Cause I've built my life around you__  
But time makes you bolder__  
Children get older__  
I'm getting older too___

Well, I've been afraid of changing_  
'Cause I, I built my life around you__  
But time makes you bolder__  
Children get older__  
I'm getting older too__  
I'm getting older too___

So, take my love, take it down_  
Oh climb a mountain and turn around__  
If you see my reflection in the snow covered hills__  
Well the landslide will bring you down, down___

And If you see my reflection in the snow covered hills_  
Well maybe the landslide will bring it down__  
Oh oh, the landslide will bring it down_

_When I finished, Sofia was staring at me in rapture. "What?" I asked, shifting uncomfortably._

"_You sing pretty." She stated bluntly. "You should sing around people." _

_I shook my head. "No, Sofie girl," I smiled gently. "Just for you. Sweet dreams." I kissed her head and left the bedroom._

_End Flashback_

"Well? So what are you going to sing?"

Samantha's voice sharply brought me back to the present. "Nothing. I will _not _sing." I said, staring into the flames.

"Why not?" Samantha leapt at the chance to discover more gossip. "Bad voice?" she taunted, baiting me.

I wasn't stupid enough to take the bait, but Samantha was likely to twist the story so horribly it wasn't recognizable. So I shrugged. "I don't want to."

We kept at this for several minutes, back and forth. "Why?"

"Because I don't."

"Why?"

"Because I don't."

Then some other kid butted in from across the fire. "For god's sake, Samantha, drop it! She clearly just doesn't want to sing. And my ears are bleeding from the arguing!" the people around him murmured in agreement.

I glanced across the fire, taking in the kid who had said that. He had black hair and olive skin, though it was hard to tell through the fire. He seemed to draw more shadows than the rest of the kids at camp, and when he looked up, I noticed that his eyes were as dark as the night sky.

I nudged Annabeth. "Who's that?"

She stared at him, her eyes narrow, as if she was calculating his motives. Percy seemed confused, and he looked back and forth across the fire like he was watching a tennis match.

Annabeth answered my question. "That's Nico di Angelo-" her marshmallow burst into flames- "-son of Hades." Her marshmallow fell off her stick and into the fire.

I grinned. "Am I the only one who finds his name funny?" I muttered quietly.

She stared blankly. "What?"

I rolled my eyes. "Well, Nico means 'victorious people', and Di Angelo means 'of angels', so technically his name means 'victorious people of angels.'" I grinned lopsidedly. "And he's a son of Hades."

Annabeth, starting to understand what I meant, smiled back. "Yeah, that is kind of ironic, I guess." She stood up and yawned. "I'm going to go to bed."

Not wanting to be around Samantha anymore, I stood too. "I'll walk you there."

We trudged a short distance from the fire, and Annabeth snapped her fingers. "I nearly forgot, Chiron had us go to your house and bring your stuff."

I snapped my head around, and I looked at her. "He knows where my house is? How?!"

She shrugged. "I don't know, but we have a laptop, a photo album, a sketchbook, and a few other things."

I looked at the Big House longingly, but decided to go and get them in the morning. We trudged off to our separate cabins, me to Hermes (because I hadn't been claimed) and her to Athena. I curled up in my six square feet of space and waited for everyone else to fall asleep.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

After it seemed like several hours had passed, I determined that the entire Hermes cabin WAS asleep. I glanced around. Not a square foot was wasted, from the floor to under the beds to the closets. I tiptoed around all of the sleeping bodies and opened the window, quickly jumping out. I had never taken off my jeans, orange t-shirt, and combat boots, so I didn't have to change into outdoor wear. I walked to what Annabeth had described as the armory.

I examined it. It looked exactly like a garden shed. But when I walked inside, there was every weapon imaginable, from spears to bows to knives. I admired the selection briefly, quickly selecting some short daggers and strapping them to my waist. Then I left the armory shed and headed towards the forest.

**Review please? Pretty please?**


	5. Chapter 5

_**All right! Here is the next chapter (finally)! Sorry that it took so long, I have been struggling through writer's block. It's like typing through molasses over here. Hopefully, the next chapter will be finished soon!**_

_**Pepper: Hurry up! We have a story to put on!**_

_**Glostara: Fine! Get in place then, and I'll start!**_

_**Pepper: *stomps off grumpily***_

_**Glostara: *Turns to readers* I do not own PJO.*bursts into tears* But I do own Pepper, May (you'll see in a bit ;) ) and anything you don't recognize. **_

_**Please enjoy this chapter responsibly! XD**_

Annabeth had warned me that the forest was extremely dangerous, especially at night. But I needed a place to sleep (that wasn't crowded as hell) and collect my thoughts and I could always sleep in a tree.

I found a clearing and fell fast asleep in the shadows of an ash tree.

*.*.*

The sharp rays of light struck my face through the branches of the trees, waking me up. Someone was shaking me gently. I opened my eyes and rolled over… becoming face-to-face with a pair of feet. I leapt up, reaching for my daggers, only to discover that the feet belonged to a young girl.

She had red hair almost exactly the same shade as mine that reached her waist and brown eyes the color of tree bark. The girl looked to be about fifteen, a little older than me, and she was wearing a green dress.

She looked at me inquisitively. "Who are you?"

"Should I tell you that?" I raised my daggers.

The girl smiled. "I am a dryad. I will not harm you."

"How do I know that?" for all I knew, a dryad could be a horrible monster that would rip me limb from limb. "I don't even know what a dryad is."

"A dryad is the female nature spirit of a tree," she murmured, pacing around me, "That normally refers to oak nature spirits."

I dropped my daggers slowly, waiting to see if she attacked me. When she didn't, I decided I could trust her. "Why did you wake me?"

She shrugged. "You clearly have dryad blood in you, with hair of that shade. And your eyes are a dead giveaway."

I touched my bright red hair and blinked. (**AN: In case I haven't been clear enough, Pepper has VERY red hair, almost to the point it looks dyed.) **This news was surprising; could my godly father (whoever he was) have something to do with tree spirits?

The dryad, seeming to read my mind, smiled. "Your godly parent is unlikely – very unlikely- to have anything to do with dryads. I would say that this blood was carried down the mortal side of your family."

This downright shocked me. "So you're saying that… my mother's mother's mother could have been a dryad?!" If I was godly on one side of the family and… dryad-ly on the other... well, it was almost unthinkable!

She pursed her lips. "Not have been, **is. **Dryads are _immortal, _half-blood."

Nodding my head dumbly, I barely caught this piece of information. As I stumbled out of the clearing, the dryad called after me. "Wait!"

I turned around. "What?"

She cocked her head. "What is your name, demigod?"

"I'm Pepper, Pepper Hunter." I answered, realizing too late that giving my name out might not be a wise idea.

She smiled at me. "Good. I am May. Farewell for now, Pepper Hunter."

_**So? What do you think? Sorry for shortness, but I'm lucky I could type at all. Stupid writers block.**_

_**I need more OCs! Pm me if you have an idea, I will accept two for Pepper's quest and a few may come in later **____** they can be whatever you want, from mortals to half-bloods to saytrs!**_

_**Review please!**_


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